Vault protective system



May 25, 193% c. D. E'LLITHORPE VAULT PROTECTIVE SYSTEM 3 sheetssheejt. 1

Filed Feb. 2, 1934 INVENTOR ClarenceQE/Z' May 25, 1937. I c. ELLlTHORPE 2,081,271

- vAtjw PROTECTIVE SYSTEM Filed Feb. 2, 1934 s Sheets-Sheet 2 I 'O '0. wu r; I 101 0 INVENT C. D. ELLITHORFE VAULT PROTECTIVE SYSTEMi Fild Feb. 2. 1934 May 25, 1937.

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. INVENTOR e0, lz'fboe 1 Patented May 25, 1937 PATENT OFFICE VAULT PROTECTIVE SYSTEM Clarence D. Ellithorpe, Springfield, .N. Y., assignor to DuplexElectric Company, New York, N.-Y., a corporation of Delaware Application February 2, 1934, Serial No. 709,412

, 16 Claims. This" invention relates to the protection of bank vaults etc., wherein the useof a protective remote control for Vault door locks, making necessary the services-of twopersons to open the vault door, is designe'dto prevent bandit attack on vaults particularly at opening time in the morning or at any time during the day. It is one of the features of my invention that the person operating the "remote control is protected from attack by bandits by an armored guard room in which the remote -'control-islocated, and that he'is automatically kept prisoner in 'said guard room for a long enough period 'to insure against one of the bandits entering the guard room to operate the remote control 'for the vault door.

Many recent robberies of bank'vaults have "occurred inthe early hours of the morning after the normal timelock on the vault door is released and before normal opening tiine,'namely, from'six oclock in some instances when the time clock releases, to nine oclook just before the daysbusiness has commenced. These robberies have been-especially vexatious for, knowingthat "the time lock ofthe usual vault door releases at an earlyhour'so that thebank maybe made ready for business at the proper time, bandits have broken in the banking or other room and awaited the arrival of the proper ofiicial, or have kidnapedhimthe night before and then, after the release of the time lock, they have forced the 'oflicial to unlock'the combination lock and open the vault door.

The principal object of my'i'nvention is to provide a system of controls for a vault door which requires the services of at least'two persons one of whom operates the usual combination locks and the other of whom operates a supplemental locking device by means of a remote control mounted'in abullet proof guard room to prevent bandit attacks especially in the morning "and throughout the day. The control guard room door must-be closed to operate the remote control, and when the door is closed it is automatically locked for a predetermined period such as "two hours so that no bandit will ordinarily enter the guard room to operate the remote controls as to do so would result in his capture.

The guard or bank'official who normally enters the guard room tooperate the remote control to permit opening of the vault door will be automatically protected from gunfire or other attack by the bandit and will be in a position to cover the entrance to the vault, the banking room and the exits, by suitable firearms which he may 55 discharge through the guard room port holes in 'case of bandit attack at opening time or during 'theday. He "willalso be provided with suitable alarm signals connecting with the police department or other outside location to warn authorities of any ra'idorhold-up, and with gas masks to counteract a gas attack. The guardroo'm is normally mad only large enough to permit one person to enter the same.

Inthis way, it will be seen, the bandit'attack is completelyfoiled because the bandits'will not have one of their men enter theguard roomand be made a prisoner for two or more hours'whioh would result in his capture and eventually the "capture" of the rest of the bandit gang;-neither will they be able to force the cashier or guard to enter the guard room to operate the remote control, for once inside the guard room the cashieror guard will be automatically protected from the bandits and can safely'refuse-to operate the controls to 'openthe vault door or can send an alarm, or fire out upon'the bandits from his protected position. If a bandit should force his entrance into the guard room with th'ebank 'official he will be automatically looked therein for two or more hours andneither of them'can get out for that time.

As an additional feature of my 'inventionfiI may provide in a preferred form, a series of controls for the doorto the guard room control and for the vault door lock which automatically J operate an alarm if an attempt is made to close the guard room door at an improper hour or if the correct sequential operation of the controls for the vault dooris not followed. In this way any attempt to operate the controls by an inexperienced personwill probably cause'analarm.

Another feature of the invention'is'to provide control circuits for suitable alarm mechanism in operative relation with the guard room door and with the remote control lock so that any attempt to force the mechanism by the bandits or even "by authorized persons will operate the alarms. Safety release mechanism may be provided but it preferably cannot be operated even by authorized persons without sounding an alarm.

As a subsidiary feature of the invention, the guard control room may constitute the tellers cage, for example, rather than be a separate compartment requiring the services of an additional man. In such case as in small banks for example, the vaultdoor would-be. opened by two people, one operating the remote control lock from within the guard room and the other releasing the combination locks on the vault door, but the teller, being in his cage in this-oasethe guard room, although locked therein, would still be free to carry on the banks business with customers. In such an arrangement, the cage would be provided with bandit proof deal trays or other means for receiving and paying out money.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following disclosure thereof taken in connection with the attached drawings which illustrate a preferred form of embodiment thereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a partial front elevation of the interior of a bank room having a vault door and armored remote control guard room;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially along the line 33 of Figure 1 and showing the air vents;

Figure 4 is a central vertical section taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a central vertical section taken at right angles to Figure 4 and showing the control panel door open to expose the controls;

Figure 6 is a horizontal section on a larger scale showing one form of embodiment of the lock for the vault door, operated by the remote control;

Figure '7 is a section through one form of guard room door lock operated by a time clock for keeping the guard room door locked closed for a predetermined time after the guard has entered;

Figure 8 is a partial vertical section showing a modified form of control room door operating means, and;

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic layout of an illustrative wiring diagram.

In the form of embodiment of my invention illustrated herein I provide an armored and bullet proof guard room In, such as shown in Figure 1, preferably mounted some distance from the vault door l2 which may lead to a bank storage compartment or other safe keeping room. In common practice, especially in banks, the vault door I2 is provided with a time look (not shown) which prevents the opening of the door until a predetermined hour in the morning; after the predetermined time the door may be opened by an operation of the combination locks l3 and I4 by a person on the outside of the vault familiar with the combination. After the time lock has released and after the combination lock is operated and released, the door l2 may be opened by the use of the handle l5. This is the usual construction of bank vault doors and is well known in the art, and bandits often have availed themselves of this knowledge to force the proper party to open the combination locks l3 and I4 after the release of the time lock in the morning and prior to the arrival of the bank force so that a robbery could be consummated with the minimum of interference and the maximum of results.

In the practice of my invention the vault door I2 is provided with a supplemental lock Hi, the details of one form of which are shown in Figure 6. This lock serves the principal purpose of preventing the opening of the door l2 except when the lock I 6 is properly released even though the normal time lock and combination lock are released. The supplemental lock may be placed on the inside or outside of the vault door and need not be of unusually strong construction as it is provided with alarm mechanism so that when it is improperly opened or tampered with or destroyed an alarm will sound in the police station or elsewhere as desired.

The supplemental lock I6 is controlled through a suitable remote electrical or mechanical circuit from a guardroom Ill which maybe of any desired construction but is preferably bullet proof or armored against usual gun fire and is preferably protected in any well known manner such as by electric alarm systems H, against burglar attack. The door l8 to the guard room is also bullet proof and is preferably cylindrical in shape to facilitate rotation and closure, the door being mounted on suitable rollers IQ for this purpose. The door is also provided with one or more gun ports 20 below suitable bullet proof sight glasses 2| and is arranged to rotate through an angle of approximately so that a guard within the enclosure will be able to cover with gun fire almost any part of the bank. Additional sight glasses 23 and 24 may be provided in the side walls of the guard room. The door is provided with a suitable handle 22 through which it may be swung closed. While I have illustrated a cylindrical shaped guard room with a cylindrical door it will be understood that this shape is not essential and that hexagonal, rectangular or other shaped rooms with swinging doors may be readily used.

The controls for the supplemental lock [6 are arranged so that they cannot be operated except when the guard room door I8 is closed and when the guard room door I8 is closed, it is held closed for a predetermined period such as two or more hours so that any one entering the guard room to operate the controls for the look I B will 3 be kept a prisoner for the predetermined period. As the controls within the guard room cannot be operated except by entering the guard room and closing the door, the person in the guard room is protected and is free of any compulsion by the bandits.

One form of apparatus for holding the guard room door l8 closed is shown in Figure '7 and includes a guard room door control 30 which is provided with a gravity actuated latch 33 which contacts with lugs 32 and 32a, mounted on the top of guard room door I8 as shown in Figure 3. The latch 33 may be actuated to release position by the solenoids connected by a suitable electrical conduit 35 in a circuit through a time clock 40 hereinafter described which may be set to permit release of the guard room at predetermined intervals.

Two sets of lugs, which are preferably of a wedge or similar shape, are provided to permit locking of the guard room door IS in either an open or closed position. Lugs 32a are spaced relatively close together and when the door is rotated to a position such that latch 33 will engage both of the lugs, the door It cannot be moved except by release of the latch actuating solenoid 34 which is prevented after business hours by means of a circuit hereinafter described which includes contacts on time clock 40. This prevents an unauthorized person from seeking to hide in and close the guard room after business hours anticipating an opportunity, during business hours the following morning, of releasing the supplemental vault door lock IS.

The second set of lugs 32 are spaced from each other so that when the guard room door I8 is closed, it can be moved through the desired angle hereinbefore described. While the door can be closed from a released position, by merely rotating it, nevertheless, it cannot be opened for exit intervals during business hours.

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.of the occupant until-the latch33 is raised by actuation of the solenoid 34 andaga-in, .by circuit irelationcontrolledrby time 'clock 40, I have ar- :r-rom its; locked open position.

The latch .33 .is provided .With ,aswitch .31; the contacts --of which are controlled by the upward -rnovementiofzthe latchand ifthe door jis;closed afterbusiness :hours, it not having been locked open, the switch 31 will operate the general-alarm 516. Operation of the controls for the release of supplementallock I6 is thusrestricte'd to business hours or the alarm would be operated, and the guard ,roomdoor cannot be opened when once closed except at predetermined periods as described. in, connection with the-operation" of the time clock 40.

One form of embodiment of a'supplemental lock 46 such as shown in Figured, may beyprovidedwith a latch 42, which is retracted by the solenoid 43 connected byconduit -with certain combination switches 45 and 46 on the remote control panel 26 asshown in Figure 5. The supplemental lock may also be surroundedwith suit able "heat-and drillprotection I60, as illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 9, so that any attempteddestruction of the lock 16 will also operate alarm l6. Constructions embodying such protection are now well known to the art. A typical example of a suitable construction is described in United States Letters Patent No. ,041,395, issued on October 15, 1912, to John P.

Williamsand Hermann I-Iuhn for an Electrothermostatic lining for vaults, safes, etc.

The control panel for operating the supplemental lock [6 to release the vault door and for releasing the guard room door control 30 is indicatedat ZBinFigure 5. It maybe provided with a door 21 which cannot be reached until one enters the guardrocm 1E] .and closes the guard room door I8. The door v2'! as shown .in Figure 2 opens into the guard room through the opening 18a in the door ,IB which serves as the entrance to the guard room. The door 2'! cannot be opened therefore until the door l8 has been moved to aposition where its opening i811 is opposite the control panel26, andthis automatically closes the entrance to the guard room and as ne ofthe lugs 32 on the topof the door passes under latch 33 the latch 33 locks the guard room door [8 closed.

The combination switches and 46 which may .be mounted on panel 26 are in suitable circuit relation with the solenoid .43 as hereinafter described, and so arranged that when turned in the proper direction to the proper point the solenoid 43 will withdraw the latch 42 so that the vault door may be opened. If the combination switches 45 or 66 should be turned in an improper sequence or in the reverse direction the alarm 16 will be sounded and if the latch is withdrawn after business hours the switch Bl will also operate alarm 16.

The panel 26 also contains a clock 40 having continuous twenty-four hour operation and provided with circuit-opening and closing contacts as hereinafter described (see Figure 9 and description) which are so arranged as to permit proper or authorized use of the guard room and remote controls but so as to operate alarm 16 if the guard-room or controls are-operated in an improper manner or at an unauthorized time. Aicircuitis provided :so that, should thedoor 18 $1 and operate alarm '16. provided through theclock 40 'so-that the guard ,room door ,IB, once close-d, cannot be opened .not be positively locked'by the lugs 32a, closing thereof and-consequent movement of-latch133 by w lug'a32pafterbusiness hours will close-the switch A further circuit is except by contacting the switch 41 at certain ,periodicintervals. Preferably the control is such that the door i8 cannot be'released except at eight-thirty oolock, ten oclock, twelve oclock, .one oclock,;three oclock, and four-thirtyoclock during theday and-only at such periods for approximately five minutes. It .will be clear there- ."fore that if anyone goes into the guard room he will be .forced tostay in and be kept a prisoner for a particular period of time which in the morning maybeitwohours and if the guard room is not closed, no opening of supplemental lock [5 is pos- :sible. to take theurisk in being held a prisoner for such It is clear thatno bandit would be willing atlong period, nor will a bandit relish having an employee of the bank in a bullet proof guard room where he is protected from the bandits and is free to sound alarm 16, operate a code'signal T63, which is desoribedhereinafter, orto shoot at the bandit at will.

The clock 40 is set so asto permit entrance into the guard room under proper conditions without operating alarm 16 between eight oclock in the -morning and 'five oclock at night as the vaults are mined intervals to prevent the sounding of the general alarm 'lfi'thus insuring attentiveness and alertness of theguard so that he can watchthe business floor through window 2! while he is locked in the guard room. A buzzer may serve as the periodicwa-rning signal "H and as described in connection with Figure 9 it is preferably operated at ten minute intervals for ten second warnings to check the vigilance of 'theguard. At the end of every ten minute period during the time that the guard is within the enclosure, the warning signal H sounds, indicating that the'general alarm 16 will be sounded if the control 64 s not operated, as hereinafter more fully described. This will be an effective check on the guard and prevent his being incapacitated as by sickness etc., without warning the authorities or bank-officials that he is unable to carry out his guard duties.

The time clock MI cannot be interfered with from the panel as it is preferably mounted behind thepanel in a sealed manner so that it may only be changed by destroying the panels which will cperate the alarm 16 as fully described in connection with the showing of Figure '9. It will prevent the guard or any other person from tampering and there will be no normal manner by which the guard can get out except under the predetermined circumstances mentioned immediately above or by emergency locks 53 and 53a hereinafter described which when operated, also operate alarm 16.

the compartment 26a below the panel 26. The stool 63 will be provided for his convenience.

The guard room I ll is provided with vents 55 shown in Figure 3 which extend up through the back of the enclosure so that the air will circulate as shown by the arrows and will discharge through a suitable conduit 56 which may extend out through the wall and up a suitable flue. It is, of course, to be understood that different forms of ventilation are possible either by perforations around the base or from a channel beneath the floor cooperating with suitable vents in the top. The guard room may be provided with fans for forced draft ventilation so that any gas may be quickly dissipated and a gas mask may be pro vided for the guard.

One suitable circuit for operating the various electrically controlled parts of the vault protection system is shown in Figure 9. It will be understood, however, that various modifications and changes may be made therein to suit the circumstances of the particular installation. The twenty-four hour clock dial is indicated at and the two combination control switches for releasng the supplemental lock l6 are indicated at and 46. A one hour contact dial operating in conjunction with the clock dial 40, is provided at Ma to give a ten second warning signal every ten minutes throughout the day to insure the alertness of the guard in the guard house. A master gravity ringer relay is indicated at T3 to operate the general alarm 16 which may be located at the police station, fire house, or other suitable point outside the bank. Two cylinder key locks 53 and ef a are provided for the emergency opening of We guard house by keys, one of which is controiled by the police or fire departments. The lock for the guard room is indicated at 30 and the supplementary lock for the vault door has the latch and solenoid '32, 43, respectively.

The electric thermostatic protection surrounding the supplementary vault door lock parts 42 and 4 3 is indicated at liia and the batteries for operating the entire system are indicated at 72. A series of three separate combination controls 6!! and 64 for controlling respectively, the release of the guard room door, the operation of a police alarm, and for restoring the operation of the general circuit is generally indicated at 12a. These controls may be located either on the control panel 26 as shown in Figure 5. or in another suitable location, for example, on the inside of the revolving cylinder door for the guard room.

The clock Ml has a raised surface 600 between eight oclock in the morning and five o'clock in the afternoon which normally represents the open Period of the bank. This period may be adjusted in accordance with the routine of the particular bank in which this device is to be installed. Between iour oclock in the afternoon and eight o'clock in the morning the cam of contact 8 r des on the lower surface 48d of the dial so that contacts 8 1 and 85 are closed and through the line 850., the positive side of the batteries 12 is connected with the contacts BI and 31 of the supplementary vault door lock I6 and the guard room door control 30 respectively.

If after business hours a robbery is attempted and the supplementary vault door lock i6 is tampered with by drilling or the like, a circuit will be established between the two sides of the protective circuit lea. One side of this circuit may be grounded to the lock casing, the other connected to an insulated layer of foil or other conductive material embedded in or secured to the casing. The penetration of a drill to the foil will close a circuit between these two, with these results: The negative side of the battery leads through control and wire B to the solenoid 15. It also is connected, through relay I3 and leads I and 2 adjacent said relay, to the inner side, as shown in Figure 9, of circuit 16a. Upon closing said circuit Him, the current from the negative side of the battery is grounded through the outer side of circuit l6a, thus shunting the current from solenoid l5, whereupon the alarm 16 is sounded.

If the guard room door should be moved to closed position from a released position, after business hours, an alarm would be sounded because of the following arrangement: By the actuation of the switch 31 due to movement of the door a circuit would be completed from the positive side of the battery through the wire 85a, the contact 84, contact 85 to the outer side, as shown in Figure 9, of the protective circuit Mia and also to one of the contacts 31, thence through the other contact 3'], the coil 13a of the relay 13, the armature 13b and through return wire B to the negative side of the batteries 12. of the coil 13a by the completion of this circuit will release latch 13c allowing armature 13b to fall thus opening contacts 9| which in turn will break the closed circuit of the solenoid which will operate the remote alarm 16.

The closed circuit of solenoid 15 includes wire B to negative polarity of battery 12, thence positive polarity of the battery, through wire a, to contacts 9!, thence through contacts and 96 or their shunt 64, through safety lock switch contacts 53b and 530 to solenoid 15. Any opening of contacts 9|, and any unguarded opening of contacts 95 and 96 will thus open circuit solenoid 15 and operate alarm l6. During business hours however, as shown to begin at approximately eight oclock in the morning, when the raised surface 400 of the clock engages contact 84, contacts 84 and 85 are opened and 83 and 84 are closed, thus shunting the current from the circuit above described and connecting the posi- I tive polarity of the batteries 12 to the contacts 93 and 98. The opening of the contacts 84 and 85 thus permits closing of the guard room door without sending an alarm and also permits the operation of the vault door look, as switches 31 and BI are then in open circuit and when either is actuated the circuit to solenoid 15 will not be broken by relay l3 and no alarm will be given. Contacts 86 and 81 are not afiected by the position ofsurfaces 40c and 40d of the clock. They cooperate with specially located lugs 40b on the clock, as described hereinafter.

The guard having entered the guard room and closed the door may then operate the combination switches 45 and 46 to release the supplementary vault door lock it. The guard in revolving the contact switches 45, 46 clockwise will stop at pre-arranged numbers. At these numbers the contacts Q2 and 93 will be connected together, thus connecting the positive side of the battery direct to the contact spring 89 controlled by the switch 36, and the contacts 88 and 89 are connected to complete the circuit through the coil 43 of the supplementary vault door lock I 6 and to cause the bolt 42 to be withdrawn to release the vault door I2.

The cashier may now open the vault door but the guard cannot come out of the guard room until such time as the dial 40 has advanced to Energization the point where one of the lugs 495 on the dial engages the cam ofcontact 81 and lifts it into engagement with the contact 86; At this time the positive side of the batteries isconnected diroot to the controlswitch 41' intheguard room by means of wire 85a, contacts 86 and 87; Closing the circuit at 41, the guardcompletes a circuit through the coils of the solenoid 34 back to the negative side of batteries 12" which raises the latch 33 and permits the guardroom door to be opened; 'As s'oon asthat one of the lugs 3% which wasin contact with the cam of contact spring 81 has passed said cam the guard room is again locked'u'ntil'the next" lug reaches the cam These lugs closethe contacts86 andtl for ap-j proximately five minutes so that if the guard,

doesn'ot open the guardroo'm door attheparticular period permitted he willrema'in locked in the guard room until the next lug 4% comes into operation. These lugs may be spaced in accordance with the routine desired in' any particular bank and area part'ofthe clock mechanismmounted in protected position behind the control panel.

.If the guard, by accident or any person not aware of theproper combination for manipulating the switches to open the supplementary lock, should revolve the switches 45 or 45 counterclockwise as they are shown in Figure 9, thus closing the contacts, 93, 94 or 89, 90, a circuit will be completed throughthe gravity relay 13 opening contacts 9| and thus openingthe circuit into the turned counterclockwise to close contacts 89 and 90, an alarm will also be sounded as contact 99 is connected to relay coil and contact 89 is connected to contacts 92 and 93 and thus to the positive of battery'lZ as before.

The periodic warning signal operated by the auxiliary dial 40a, which revolves continuously, comes into operation about eight oclock in the morning when the raised surface 400 of the dial 49 raises the spring 99 into contact with the spring 98 connecting the positive side of the batteries direct to the warning signal, in the present embodiment a buzzer, H. The revolving of the dial 40a completes a circuit through the buzzer H every tenminutesor each time a lug 49c contacts with contact 91 thus causing the buzzer to operate. The circuit includes wire 85d from the battery, contacts 83 and 84, Stand 99, buzzer H, contact 91, lug 49c andthence through wire B 'to the negative side of the battery. As soon as the buzzer ll operates the guard will push the reset control 54to prevent the sounding of the'main alarm 16,thus showing that he "is alert. If for anyjreas'on the reset control 64 is notjoperated i If switch were properly *turnedto close contacts 92 and 93 and switch 46 ll sounds it prevents the opening of the police alarm circuit and the sounding of the policef alarm.

A code control indicated at for arbitrarily; operating the police alarm is in the form of a normally closed contact switch on the negative side of the batteries. Control Glimay be'operated to open the circuit'controllingthe police alarm, which causes the alarmto operate. Such opera ation, however, does not cause the alarmto be energized through the gravity relay'13"sincethe control eii'directly interruptsthe flow of current frombatteries 12 to solenoid l5through wire B,

As a result, control 69 may be used selectively by the guard'for the transmission of a code signal" to the police station using a pre-arrangedcode',

The enlergency release locks 'for releasing the guard room door in the event of fire, illness of the guard, or other emergency are indicated at 53 and 53d and are arranged on the outsideoff theguard room, see Figure 2. They arecon-f nected'in series, so that the clockwise turning of either of these locks will immediately operate the police alarm, but both locks 53 and 530; must be operated in order to unlock the guard room'door in advance of the time set by'the lugs 401) on the These locks are optional and may or dial 49.

may not be included in the device. v

The operation of the lock 53 will move the contact 53b to the right thus closing thecircuit to the general alarm 76 by breaking thecircuit through solenoid l5'and energizing the contact 53c so that when the lock 531i is operated to jacks 6! for telephone connections between the guardroom and the various tellerswickets or at the police station has not been shown and only the simplest open type circuits for operating the various alarms and releases havebeen indicated to illustrate my invention. It will be understood, however, that multiple clocks may be provided to eliminate the possibility of failure of the system to operate at the proper timeand all important circuits and controls may be supervised by closed circuits to prevent failure of operation.

The switches 45 and 46 will be of a combination lock type requiring that the dials be turned to two or more numbers before the circuit conditions described are obtained. The "circuit connecting these switches with the vault door lock ltjmay be also provided with a'time delay mechanism, not shown, so that even'ii the guard has properly operated the'switches in the guardrroomdheff cashier cannot open the vault door 'for'a period of at'least fifteen-minutes. Such a time delay mechanism provides an additional protective feature in the eventof a hold-up. Itjsnot'inconpersuaded to actuate "the lock controls within his reach. Furthermore, it might occur that the guard, due to excitement or for other reasons, would fail to send a police alarm after actuating the lock controls. If, under such circumstances, a substantial delay be required before the vault door may be opened, an additional safeguard would be provided, since a successful attempt at robbery must be executed quickly, and such a delay would enable assistance to be obtained by other means than the aforementioned police alarm system.

It is contemplated that the guard room ID will constitute an armored and electrically protected enclosure adjacent the vault door. It may, however, be fixed or mounted on rollers and movable into various positions for the Wiring. Furthermore, it may be provided in combination with a tellers bullet-proof cage which would also be provided with bullet-proof package receiversand deal trays, so that when the teller or paymaster takes up his position for the days business he will also be in position to control the opening of the vault door as well as being an armed guard for the rest of the bank. The specific location of the guard room is not material except that it should be in a position so that the guard may cover with his firearms the entrance to the vault, the banking room entrances and as much of the bank as possible. It is of course, not necessary to limit the shape of the enclosure to a cylindrical form, although the cylindrical form has particular advantages in that the door may be revolved to facilitate shooting.

It is expected that under normal circumstances. the bank ofiicer or other employee designated will enter the enclosure prior to the commencement of business where he will take up his position as guard and will cooperate with the proper oificials to release the vault door after the other oificial has properly opened the combination locks. Any attempt at that time to rob the vault will be frustrated as the guard will be protected and can safely refuse to release the supplementary lock. He will also be provided with suitable firearms, and with central station alarm sounding means the switch 8!) which he will not hesitate to operate as he is not subject to an attack. In an attack the door I8 would be moved around as necessary and although it might be necessary to close the panel door 21 in order to allow free movement of the door [8, this would not be objectionable as the alarm would probably have been previously sounded. It may also be found desirable to place the switch controls 41, 60 and 64 on the guard room door so that they will always be available.

Under such normal circumstances in which the bank would usually be opened at approximately eight oclock in the morning, the guard who was imprisoned within the guard room would be held for only two hours, for example, or until ten oclock. After that time, if he so desired, he could operate the guard room control 41 and release himself from the enclosure.

If under abnormal conditions, such as kidnaping of a bank officer, a bandit should enter the guard room he would similarly be locked within the guard room for the period of time designated and would be captured. Knowing this the bandits would hesitate to have one of their number enter the guard room, as the capture of one member of a band usually leads to the identification and capture of the entire band.

It is apparent from the foregoing that the circuits and arrangements controlled by the guard room control 41, the code control 60, and the reset control 64 provide useful protective facilities. The occupant of the guard room is positively protected against opening of the guard room door except at predetermined intervals when the circuit is properly set for such opening and when he has actuated the control 41. In case of robbery or other trouble, he is free to actuate the code control 60 and thus to sound a police alarm without the knowledge of persons around the guard room. His continued attention to duty is maintained by the requirement that the reset control 64 be actuated at ten minute intervals to prevent the sounding of a police alarm.

The guard room H) is preferably so wired and protected electrically as diagrammatically shown at II, in Figure 9, that no felonious attempts will be made either to open the room when occu pied or to cut an opening in the door at night so that one bandit could get in or out of the guard room when the time look was released in the morning. The usual well known thermostatically active mats of lead foil and other well known materials which are destroyed by heat or drilling such as those shown and described in Letters Patent No. 1,041,395, hereinabove mentioned, can be used for this purpose. Such material will also be used for the supplemental lock as indicated diagrammatically at |6a in Figure 9.

If desired, the guard room may be operated by other means such as shown in Figure 8. In this case the door 65 is controlled through a wheel and gear 66 and 81 so that the occupant will be able to shut the door under increased power. This may be necessary particularly with heavy doors even though they are provided with rollers l9.

It may be desirable to provide two or more guard rooms in such position to. command the entire banking room for protection and it may be desirable to have them arranged so that the controls are interlocking and all respective guard rooms would have to be occupied by the assigned guard before the controls for the vault door could be opened. This may be of particular benefit in large banks and trust companies and it may also be desirable for organizations other than banks where there are two and three vaults each of which must be separately controlled.

In any event it is necessary to have at least two people for opening the vault door, one of whom is locked in a bullet proof and temporarily unopenable enclosure. A mechanical system of intel-linked controls may be provided whereby the throwing of the vault door bolts may only be accomplished after the guard room door is closed and a time period had elapsed. In a similar manner, the guard room door could only be opened when the vault door bolts were in locked position. The supplemental lock I6 may be built in the vault door l2, as an additional locking dog on the usual bolt mechanism where new installations are made. Such a mechanism could be readily operated either by electric, pneumatic, hydraulic or mechanical means, such operating means being controlled from within a guarded enclosure which is held in locked position for a predetermined time, the controls being accessible only when the enclosure is locked closed. It is of course to be understood that specific reference to a bank vault and its operating conditions of time of day, etc., are only for purpose of example and that other installations requiring different time periods etc., will have the controls set for periods of business hours and after businesshours which may readily be accomplished by variations of the time clock setting.

While I have shown a preferred form of embodiment of my invention I am aware that other modifications may be made thereto and I therefore desire a broad interpretation of my invention within the scope and spirit of the description herein and of the claims appended hereinafter.

I claim: 1

1:111 combination with a lock for a vault door, a remote control for said lock, an armored enclosure forsaidremote control, entry means for said enclosure, and means to retain said entry means closed for a period of time,said remote control for said lockbeing operable only when said entry means are in closed position.

2. In combination with a supplemental lock for a vault door, a remote control for said look, a guarded enclosure for said remote control, entry means for said enclosure and means to retain said entry means closed for a period of time, said remote control for said lock being operable only when said entry means is in closed position, means to sound an alarm, and means to automatically operate said alarm sounding means by an erroneous operation of said remote control.

3. The system of controlling a vault door having a supplemental lock which comprises providing a remote control for said supplemental lock, said control being mounted on a panel in an armored room, and rendered inaccessible by the entrance door to said room, said control being operable when exposed by the closed door of the armored room, and means to hold the armored room door closed for a predetermined time.

4. In combination with a supplemental lock for a vault door, a remote control for said look, a guarded enclosure for said remote control, entry means to said enclosure and means to retain said entry means closed for a period of time, the

control is erroneously operated, and means to operate said warning signal if said supplemental lock is released by any but the remote control.

5. A remote control for a bank vault door lock which comprises means to release the look from the remote point, means at the remote point out of the operators control to prevent the operator of the control means from leaving the control means for a predetermined period of time after the operation of said lock releasing means and r means operative to render'the last recited means inoperative after such period of time. V

6. A remote control for a supplemental vault door lock including an enclosure for a control panel, means on said panel to release the supplemental vault door lock, means to prevent the operator from withdrawing from said enclosure except after a predetermined period from the time of operating the control means, said enclosure being in position to control the physical ingress and egress of a person to the vault.

7-. A system of burglar proof controls for a vault which includes a lock on the vault door, a remote control means remote from the lock for opening the lock and means beyond the control of the operator to prevent the operator of the remote control means from leaving the remote control means 'for a predetermined period of time. 7 o

8. In a means for protecting a vault door having the usual time lock and combination looks,

a supplementallock, means remote from the lock for opening said lock, and means beyond the control of the operator to imprison the operator of "said remote means for a predetermined time, whereby the services of two persons are required for opening the vault door;

9. In combination with means for protecting a vault door, having the usual time lock and combination looks, a supplementary look, a remote control means for opening said lock, a guard room enclosing said' remote control means, means to prevent operation of said remote. control means until a person has entered said guard room and closed the door, and means to lock said door for a predetermined period of time, whereby the person entering said guard room to operate the remote control is kept a prisoner for a pre determined time.

10. In combination with means for protecting a vault door, having the usual time lock and combination looks, a supplementary look, a remote control means for opening said lock, an armored guard room enclosing said remote control means, said guard room having an entry door; means to prevent operation of said remote control means until a person has entered said guard room and closed the guard room door, means to lock said guard room door for a predetermined period of time after the guard room has been entered, and means to prevent closure of said guard room door during unauthorized hours.

11. In combination with a supplemental lock for a vault door, a remote control for said lock, a guarded enclosure for said remote control, said guarded enclosure having an entrance door, a lock for said door, means to rotate said door through a substantialangle,meansconnectedwith said lock to prevent the opening of the door for a predetermined time after it is closed, and means to release the door lock, said remote control being operable only when the entrance door is closed.

12. In combination with a supplemental lock for a vault door, a remote control for said look, a guarded enclosure for said remote control, said enclosure having an entrance door, a lock for said door, said door being rotatable through a substantial angle, means causing said lock to prevent opening of the door for a predetermined time after it is closed, means to release the door lock to allow rotation of said door, said remote control being operable only when the entrance door is closed, and means to sound an alarm if said door is closed except at predetermined periods.

13. In combination with a-supplemental lock for a vault door, a remote control for said look, a guard room including a door for said remote control, a lock for said door, said door being rotatable, means to prevent opening of the door for a predetermined time after it is closed, and a control panel within said guard room and containing the remote control, and means to operate a warning signal if said door is closed except during predetermined hours.

14. In combination with a lock for a vault door, a remote control for said look, a guard room for said remote control, an entrance door to said guard room, said door being rotatable, a lock for said door, means to delay opening of the door for a predetermined time after it is closed, a control panel Within said guard room having remote control operating means, and means to operate a warning signal if said guard room door is closed except during certain predetermined hours, said means being operable if the vault door is opened at any but predetermined hours.

15. In combination with a lock for a vault door, a remote control for said look, a guard room for said remote control, said remote control being carried on a panel within said guard room, a means on said control panel to release the vault door 1001: including a combination switch, warning means operated by the false operation of said combination switch, an entrance door for said guard room, and means to prevent opening of the guard room door for a predetermined time after it is closed.

16. In combination with a lock for a vault door, a remote control for said look, a guard room for said remote control, said guard room having a movable door, a lock to lock said guard room door and means to prevent opening of the lock for a predetermined time after the guard room door is closed, said guard room having a control panel operable only when said guard room door is closed, means on said control panel to release the vault door lock including a combination switch, and warning means operated by the false operation of said combination switch.

CLARENCE D. ELLITHORPE. 

